Monday, May 5, 2014

Science Can Use DNA GPS To Determine Where Your Ancestors Lived 1000 Years Ago

Maybe everything you know about yourself is a LIE.

Most of us can trace our lineage back a few generations, but what about way back?
Like, would-need-a-TARDIS-to-determine-the-truth back? Two scientists
have collaborated to create a new kind of DNA GPS that can accurately
pinpoint where in the world you came from, over a thousand years ago.

Called the “Geographic Population Structure” tool (because, you know,
GPS – hey, SHIELD and SWORD did it first), Dr. Eran Elhaik from the
University of Sheffield and Dr. Tatiana Tararinova from USC can use it
to determine the exact island or village from whence you came with a 98%
success rate.

The GPS reads something called your “genetic admixture,” which is a
reading of how many different gene pools you carry in your DNA
(specifically, in this case, in your autosomal chromosomes). The GPS
knows over 100,00 of these ancestry-informative markers that are
specific to particular geographic regions, and can tell where you’re
from based on what mixture you have.